| Mario looked at his watch under the wash of a street lamp?I set the time for
Paris; it?s almost midnight here
?You still haven?t told me their names, LouWhat do we call them??
?You don?t,? answered DeFazio, starting for the entrance?No names?they wouldn?t mean
anything anywayAll you gotta do is be respectful, you know what I mean??
?I don?t have to be told that, Lou, I really don?t,? reprimanded Mario in his soft-spoken voice
?But for my own information, why do you even bring it up??
?He?s a high-class diplomatico,? explained the capo supremo, stopping briefly on the pavement
and looking up at the man who had nearly killed Jason Bourne in Manassas, Virginia?He operates
out of Rome from fancy government circles, but he?s the direct contact with the dons in SicilyHe
and his wife are very, very highly regarded, you understand what I?m saying??
?I do and I don?t,? admitted the cousin?If he?s so grand, why would he accept such a menial
assignment as following our targets??
?Because he canHe can go places some of our gucci men wallet pagliacci can?t get near, you know what I mean?
Also, I happen to let our people in New York know who our clients were, especially one, capisce?
The dons all the way from Manhattan to the estates south of Palermo have a language they use
exclusively between themselves, did you know that, cugino? It comes down to a couple of
orders: ?Do it? and ?Don?t do it ?
?I think I understand, Lou
?Respect, yes, my fancy rendering cousin, but not no weakness, capisce? No weakness! The
word?s got to go up and down the line that this is an operation Lou DeFazio took control of and ran
from beginning to endYou got that??
?If that?s the case, maybe I can go home to Angie and the kids,? said Mario, grinningYou shut up, cugino! With this one job you got annuities for your whole passel of
bambinos
?Not a passel, Lou, just fiveRemember, respect, but we don?t take no shit
The small private dining room was a miniature version of Tetrazzini?s decorThe ambience was
Italian in all thingsThe walls were papered with dated, now faded murals gucci watches for women of Venice, Rome and
Florence; the softly piped-in music was predominantly operatic arias and tarantellas, and the
lighting indirect with pockets of shadowsIf a patron did not know he was in Paris, he might think
he was dining on Rome?s Via Frascati, at one of the many commercialized family ristoranti lining
that ancient street
There was a large round table in the center covered by a deep red tablecloth, with a generous
overhang, and four chairs equidistant from one anotherAdditional chairs were against the walls,
allowing for an expanded conference of principals or for the proper location of secondary
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
349
subalterns, usually armedSeated at the far end of the table was a distinguished-looking oliveskinned
man with wavy dark hair; on his left was a fashionably dressed, well-coiffed middle-aged
womanA bottle of Chianti Classico was between them, the crude thick-stemmed wineglasses in
front of them not the sort one would associate with such aristocratic dinersOn a chair behind cartier love the
diplomatico was a black leather suitcase
?I?m DeFazio,? said the capo supremo from New York, closing the door?This is my cousin
Mario, of who you may have heard of?a very talented man who takes precious time away from his
family to be with us
?Yes, of course,? said the aristocratic mafioso?Mario, il bola, esecuzione garantito?deadly
with any weapon
?I find such descriptions meaningless,? responded Mario, approaching a chair?I?m skilled in
my craft, that?s all
?Spoken like a professional, signore,? added the woman as DeFazio and his cousin sat down
?May I order you wine, drinks?? she continued
?Not yet,? replied LouisMy talented relative on my mother?s side,
may she rest in the arms of Christ, asked a good question outsideWhat do we call you, MrParis, France? Which is by way of saying I don?t need no real names
?Conte and Contessa is what we?re known by,? answered the husband, smiling, the tight smile
more appropriate to a mask than a human face
?See what I mean, cugino? These are people of high regardCount, bring omega usa us up to
date, how about it??
?There?s no question about it, Signor DeFazio,? replied the Roman, his voice as tight as his
previous smile, which had completely disappeared?I will bring you up to date, and were it in my
powers I would leave you in the far distant past
?Hey, what kind of fuckin? talk is that??
?Lou, please!? intruded Mario, quietly but firmly
?What about his language? What kind of language is that? He wants to leave me in some kind of
dirt??
?You asked me what has happened, Signor DeFazio, and I?m telling you,? said the count, his
voice as strained as before?Yesterday at noon my wife and I were nearly killed?killed, Signor
DeFazioIt?s not the sort of experience we?re used to or can tolerateHave you any idea what
you?ve gotten yourself into??
?You ? They marked you??
?If you mean by that, did they know who we were, happily they did notHad they known, it?s
doubtful we?d be sitting at this table!?
?Signor DeFazio,? interrupted the contessa, glancing at her husband, her look telling him to
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